Here's a brief (and hopefully informative) trip report about my visit
to see Groom Lake from Freedom Ridge on Jan. 15, 1994. (The secret US
Air Force test facility at Groom Lake is also known as "Dreamland",
"Area 51", "The Ranch", and "Watertown Strip".)

I had planned for more people and had rented a passenger van to transport
us from Costa Mesa, CA. Because of last minute cancellations, only 3
of us ended up driving to Nevada on Friday night. Tip - make Nevada
hotel/motel reservations -before- you travel, if you go during a 
three day holiday weekend (Monday is Martin Luther King's birthday
and southern Nevada was overflowing with tourists). We ended up getting
a room in Jean, NV, but due to various things, we didn't get a lot of
sleep. Unfortunately, we got going rather late Saturday morning. I dropped
my friend Al off in Las Vegas, because he was worried the US government
would yank his visa and deport him if he got caught up at Groom Lake. I
took US Highway 93 out of Las Vegas and headed north with a close female
friend. Travel tip -- Upper Pahranagat Lake (south of Alamo, NV) is very
scenic. We did some sightseeing and birdwatching there, and got back on
the road. We turned west up Hwy. 375 and turned on to the Groom Lake
dirt road (at milepost 34.6). Glenn Campbell (psychospy@aol.com) and
friends had been busy -- I particularly like the yellow sign marked
"Sensor" where a hidden sensor was located. We drove down the dirt road
and only saw one security vehicle, at a good distance to the left.

I accidentally went past the parking area 13.6 miles down the dirt road
because there were no vehicles there around 2:30 PM Saturday. I did a
quick turn-around when I saw the "Warning - Military Installation" signs
13.8 miles down the road. We got out of the van and decided that everyone
else had left for Tonopah. After we climbed the first steep hill, I picked
up a loud, clear radio transmission from base security on my scanner. It
was on 138.3 MHz (FM), a channel I haven't seen associated with Groom Lake
before -- it's a Nevada Test Site security channel. The transmission was
roughly "23 to 106. We've got an 850 and 860 going up the hill. Bring
your truck up". (I don't know whether I was the 850 and my female companion
was the 860 or vice-versa). I yelled "let's go!!" and we started hiking at
a rapid pace, following the yellow markers. I felt that I didn't drive more
than 400 miles from California, only to be turned away so close to
Freedom Ridge. As we were climbing, we saw a white four-wheel drive truck
go up a small hill just past the parking area. I decided we had to get up
the hill fast, see the Groom Lake facility, and come down quickly, before
security got their act together. We made it to the top (sorry Glenn - 
I forgot to sign the visitor's rock), and pulled out binoculars to see
the secret facility. The Groom Lake facility looks like other desert air bases,
and we didn't see any strange aircraft with our 10x50 binocuars. I also had a
digital magnetometer with me and took readings from Freedom Ridge of
approximately 0.1 milligauss (background level). I did the readings because UFO
researchers claim that a strong electromagnetic field exists around UFOs.

Personally, I don't believe Groom Lake is a UFO base, but is the place where
secret aircraft are tested. Due to increasing interest from security, we
only spent 15 minutes up on Freedom Ridge.

We then hiked down, hearing the security get ever more excited on the
138.3 MHz frequency. We got in our rental van and sped out of there at
60 MPH along the dirt Groom Lake road - the security followed us all the
way to Hwy. 375. Unfortunately, we couldn't make it up to Tonopah, to link
up with the people who had been at the Groom Lake viewing, earlier on
Saturday -- does anybody who went have a trip report to post?

If you go up there, you absolutely, positively, need to get a copy of
Glenn Campbell's (psychospy@aol.com) "Area 51 Viewer's Guide" which is
packed full of useful info from the Groom Lake maestro himself. You can
order a copy from:
  Secrecy Oversight Council
  HCR Box 38
  Rachel, NV  89001
  USA
The price per copy is $15.00 (US dollars). Add the following for shipping:
  - Priority Mail (US) - $3.50
  - 3rd/4th Class Mail (US) - $2.00
  - overseas surface mail - $5.00
  - overseas air mail - $10.00
  
Scanner radio frequencies not in the "Area 51 Viewer's Guide" that may be
useful. (all channels listed are FM):
  138.3 MHz - security, during our visit - used on the Nellis Range/Nevada
    Test Site. (I have heard that the Air Force security units nationwide are
    changing down to the 136-144 MHz range, from their older channels in the
    162-168 MHz range).
  167.825 - Nellis Range/Nevada Test Site security
  148.5 - Nellis Range security
  163.4875 - Nellis AFB primary security channel
  163.5875 - Nellis AFB secondary security channel
  155.655 - Nevada law enforcement - statewide mutual aid channel

Paul McGinnis / TRADER@cup.portal.com
